Lewisville looking to propose nearly $100M bond measure to fund new public safety complex

The city of Lewisville is poised to call a November election to ask voters to approve nearly $100 million in bonds to build a new central police and fire complex.

The City Council plans to vote to call the election at a meeting next month. The new public safety complex is proposed to be built at the same location as the existing police and fire stations on the northwest corner of West Main Street and North Valley Parkway.

In May, voters in more than a dozen other area cities approved similar bond programs to build public safety complexes to replace aging facilities. In workshop discussions July 19, Lewisville City Council members called maintenance efforts on the existing police and central fire station the equivalent of putting “duct tape” on deteriorating buildings. City officials first began discussing options for a new public safety complex in 2020 but tabled discussions after the pandemic began.

Officials renewed discussions of the facility at a March City Council retreat. At the July 19 work session, they reviewed four detailed options with varying features and costs. All council members indicated they would support the two most robust options, which would ultimately cost taxpayers an estimated $96.7 million and should accommodate the city’s maximum population at buildout. The least expensive option presented would cost $78.8 million and would be capable of handling the city's growth for 15 to 20 years, according to the discussion.

Since last year, construction costs have risen while materials and crews have become scarcer. Because other area cities have recently approved similar projects, demand on resources is continuing to rise.

Despite revised higher-estimated costs for the proposed project, City Manager Donna Barron said Lewisville's debt ratio would remain steady as the city continues paying off existing debt and strategically schedules future debt. That means no property tax increase would be needed to fund the project, officials said.

The city will move forward with selecting a design team for the public safety complex next month. If voters approve the measure on Nov. 2, the design process would begin just days after ballots are cast, according to city discussions. Construction would begin in December 2022.